Never Goodbye
by Fhyre.N.Ice
Summary: So many reoccurring events: the Mala Noche, kidnappings, drama, and sweater vests. No I'm just kidding. Takes place after Bad Seed. It probably won't happen anyway. Hiphuggers all the way baby!
1. Calleigh

Ch 1

And with that he was gone. A small kiss and a comforting hug, and then he left. Calleigh didn't know what to think. With the news of gangs on the rise, and old friends slowly slipping away from her, she felt lost. Eric was her life, and now he was gone from CSI. But they were still in love, and now Rick Stetler wouldn't be looking over their shoulders 24/7. It was a sigh of relief, but it broke Calleigh's heart to see him leave the same day he got back.

That night, Calleigh got home and flopped on her couch while kicking off those high heeled shoes that she wore to work almost everyday. She smiled as the memory of getting those shoes came to mind.

Calleigh and Eric had been only a month into their relationship when she insisted on him helping her pick out a new pair of heels. It was the only thing worse than finding out that you were going to die according to Eric. They were at the shoe store barely five minutes before he spotted the perfect shoes. They were classy, yet stylish with a bit of sass. The shoes had black soles, 3 inch heels, and crossing straps in front that alternated between hot pink and white. From there, the shoes would be part of her life forever.

Moving away from the memory, Calleigh slipped into her room, put on a pair of sweats and a t-shirt, and laid down on the bed.

A few hours passed and Calleigh checked her phone periodically to see if she had received any text messages. Each time it was blank. After about the eleventh time, she set down the phone and something on the nightstand caught her eye. It was the silver cross Calleigh had given Eric when he was in the hospital the first time.

As she picked it up gently, a single tear slipped down her cheek. So many memories could be traced back to that diamond necklace.

_Oh Eric_, Calleigh thought. Grasping the cross in her hand, she laid back down and closed her eyes as unmerciful dreams invaded her sleep.


	2. Eric

Ch 2

On the other side of town, Eric Delko was just getting home, having the thought that he had just broken the love of his life's heart. The guilt had settled in his stomach long ago, but the realization had yet to come.

Getting out of his car, Eric locked the car, headed into his house, and leaned his back against the door, sliding down until he came in contact with the floor. He buried his head in his hands, gently brushing his fingers over the scar on the back of his skull. It made him shiver to think of the past events that had almost taken his life. Calleigh had been there to help him through it all.

Calleigh… Eric couldn't take his eyes off of the picture frame of them and Timothy Speedle smiling happily on the bookcase on the far side of the room. It almost brought tears to his eyes realizing how far they had come and so many friends they had lost. Eric then crossed the room and picked up the photo.

He was on the left, laughing so hard he was clutching his stomach and about to fall over. Calleigh was in the middle and rolling her eyes, but smiling brightly. Speedle was on the left, laughing with an amused glint in his eyes. Eric remembered the night it had all happened.

The team had gone out to a club to celebrate the closing of a rather long case. Horatio and Alex had started to refuse to come, but were finally persuaded. They spent most of their time chatting though. Meanwhile, the guys (Eric and Tim) had been getting very tipsy and laughing almost nonstop. Somewhere along the way, the picture had been taken and barely thirty seconds later the guys were passed out, or at least Eric. Speedle was nearing that point. The next morning resulted in a multitude of hangovers.

Eric set down the frame and proceeded to his bedroom where he flopped down on the bed. Minutes later he was asleep, phone in hand, waiting for a message from Calleigh.


	3. Abducted

Ch 3

The next morning, Calleigh woke early, checked her phone, and headed to work. The place seemed so bare and foreign to her as she stepped out of the elevator. Her friends were there, each and every one so familiar but distant. Calleigh walked silently towards her ballistics lab, and on the way looking at the next case. It appeared that a groom had not shown up to his own wedding and two of his groomsmen had been found unconscious in a fountain filled with someone else's blood. It seemed interesting enough to keep her mind off of the previous day's events.

"Hey, Calleigh," came a voice from the doorway of the lab.

"Hi, Nat," she answered.

"Why so down?"

"I'm just tired. My neighbor's dog kept me up all night," Calleigh made up, even though white lies could turn out to be a disaster.

"Well, just try and stay awake, okay?" Natalia was obviously joking. Calleigh laughed. It was a while since she had.

With that, Nat exited the room and went to her own lab. Calleigh sighed and went back to work.

Hours went by without barely any interruptions, and Calleigh was able to help finish the case quickly. Packing up her stuff, she got ready to head home. Then Ryan came into the room.

"Hey, Cal. Some case, huh?"

"Yeah, did you hear what Jesse did?"

"Digging into that dancer's purse without a warrant? That was a little risky if you ask me. I'm surprised Stetler isn't on his tail yet. Rumors spread around this place like maggots. It's hard to get rid of them."

"No kidding."

"Have you seen Delko lately?" she would have answered quickly, but the question caught Calleigh off guard.

"What?" she asked, her voice starting to crack.

"Have you seen Delko lately?"

"No."

"Maybe his doctor called him back out of work."

"Yeah, maybe he did."

Ryan started to walk out of the room when Calleigh's surprising statement stopped him.

"He quit."

"What? You're kidding."

"No, I'm not. He basically said life's too short."

"Eric wouldn't do that!"

"No, he wouldn't," her voice trailed off as Ryan rushed out of the room to confront Horatio, and his sunglasses.

* * *

A week passed by without a word or message from Eric. Calleigh was beginning to worry, if she hadn't been already. One bright Monday morning, she got up and got ready for work, not even bothering to check her phone. She knew her inbox would be blank.

Calleigh headed down to her lab as usual with a particularly unusual case in her hand. It seemed that a man had been murdered and found in a warehouse not far from Flagler, and on his chest was an unusual mark. It was a pitchfork with the tips just below the junction of the shoulder and torso. It was the mark of the Mala Noche.

Calleigh stopped in her tracks and turned around towards Horatio's office.

"Horatio, what's this supposed to mean?" she asked.

"It means we have a special case on our hands. We need to solve this case quickly because of the victim."

She looked down at the crime scene photo he had just given her and gasped. The victim was none other than the man who had pulled the trigger on the gun that killed Marisol Delko Caine, Horatio's dead wife. She was also Eric's sister.

"When Eric and I headed down to Brazil, we were able to catch up with Antonio Riaz and get revenge. Afterwards, we did not check to see if he was dead, which he may not be. If it is him, we'll have to be on our guard at all times. We need to warn family and friends as well. Have you gotten in contact with Eric lately?"

"No, actually I haven't," Calleigh answered with an unsure voice.

"Something is wrong, isn't it?"

"He hasn't called or even sent a message. I'm getting really worried that something-"

Just at that moment, Calleigh's phone rang. Looking at the caller id, she noticed it was Eric. She put the phone to her ear.

"Hello?"

"Good morning, Miss Duquesne."

"Who is this?"

"You wouldn't know me, but your boss might," the voice said just as Horatio gave her an inquisitive look.

"What do you want?"

"Actually, it's what you want, my dear."

Calleigh put on a confused look as she handed the phone to Horatio.

"Don't do this Antonio," his voice was almost sounding vicious, unlike his usual caring one.

"Ah, Lieutenant Caine, it's so lovely to hear your voice again. But would you look at that! I'm back from the dead. Still miss your poor wife?"

"What do you want?"

"Revenge, it's simple. And I can get it out of you from a relative. It turns out your brother is hanging out, shall we say, with us at the moment. If you don't do as we say, he might end up six feet under, or in his case, swimming with the fishes. He is your only living relative that you've seen in quite a while, correct?"

"Let him go."

"If you play along, I might just compensate, but not now. Let the game begin Caine," Riaz finished as he hung up. Calleigh looked at Horatio with worry in her eyes. He heaved a big sigh and spoke.

"The Mala Noche have Eric."

* * *

_Eric walked up to Calleigh's front door with a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach, as if he didn't belong here, or at least for the moment. Rapping on her door with his knuckles rather softly, he waited for an answer. None came. He tried again, but this time harder. Still, there was no answer. _

_He thought about leaving, figuring she was at work, but stayed glued to the spot._

"_Calleigh! I need to talk to you. I'm sorry about what happened last week. I wasn't thinking straight, and I know it shocked you. Can you please just come down?" still there was no answer._

_Eric was about to turn around and go back to his car, when suddenly, a sharp pain shot through the back of his skull. Buckling forward, but not falling, he turned around. The last thing Eric saw was a man clad in black before darkness befell him.

* * *

_

**So, what do you think? This is probably the farthest I've ever gotten on an attempt to write a fanfiction. I'm so proud of myself!!! XD**

~Fhyre.


	4. No Where to Run

Ch 4

Eric woke, feeling very groggy and a terrible headache. Had he been drunk? Was this just a hangover. He tried to reach up to his face when something restrained his hands back. Finally opening his eyes he found that he was tied to a chair. There was no light in the small room, but he had managed to discover tape around his wrists, feet, and chest holding him to a wooden chair somewhere in the middle of the room.

"Oh, you're awake now. Sorry for the little surprise. We couldn't have you run away when we asked you to join our little fest here," said a voice from the doorway, causing the room to flood with light and Eric to squint his eyes.

"Who are you?" Eric prodded.

"You do not remember? I am shocked. The man you see before you is the one that put your sister on her deathbed. Now do you remember?"

Eric looked up in shock as the face came into recognition; Antonio Riaz.

"You..."

"Yes, me. Still mourn her I suppose? It's too bad my hit man didn't get you too. I would've had Caine crying for more than just a wife he hadn't been married to for more than 48 hours. Oh well."

"What do you want with me?" Eric asked, hoping to get a straight answer.

"I plan to get revenge. Not from you, though I'm going to use you to get it. If you answer a few questions, I might just spare a little mercy. Now, tell me. How is this Calleigh Duquesne related to you?"

Eric thought about answering the question, thinking it would be no matter, but for Calleigh's sake he stayed silent.

"Ah, going to be quiet now, are we?"

Eric was not prepared for what came next. The crashing blow of Riaz' fist came full force against his skull. Drops of blood silently sprung from his bottom lip and hit the concrete floor. A small groan of pain slipped through his teeth as his head lay limply to the side.

"Now, try again and I might spare you a little mercy," Riaz said.

Once again, Eric stayed silent. Antonio was going to try and use Calleigh for bait, and he wasn't going to let that happen.

"Well, too bad for that. You'll just have to suffer the consequences."

A second time, Eric was forced to try and brace himself as the beating worsened with each hit. After many punches, Riaz stood up straight and looked Eric in the eye.

"If you want to live, you will have to learn how to answer me. Your life is in my hands now Delko."

"Go to hell!" Eric yelled in defiance.

With that, Riaz took out a gun from a holster on his hip and fired off a random shot. From outside the warehouse, though it was very secluded, a scream of agony could be heard for a mile around.

* * *

"Ryan, please just help me with this. A lot of things are at risk here!" Calleigh yelled, finally getting fed up with Wolfe's stubbornness.

"OK, fine. I give up. What do you need. This case with the Mala Noche is back breaking, so I hope your happy."

"I need you to track Eric's cellphone, see if you can get a signal," Calleigh answered, ignoring the side comment.

"Why, can't find your lover?"

"Ryan please just do it. For me?"

"Why?"

If Calleigh didn't either find something out soon or tell someone of the predicament she was going to explode.

"The Mala Noche have Eric."

Ryan nearly choked on the water he was drinking, almost spitting it all over the evidence he was examining.

"What?!" he asked in disbelief.

"Just please track the number, damn it! We're losing precious time when Eric could be out there dead!" Calleigh nearly screamed and started to break down.

"OK, OK. Don't worry we'll find him."

"Thank you," Calleigh whispered just in time before a single tear rushed down her cheek and hit the tiled floor.

* * *

"Aghhhh!" Eric cried in pain as the bullet grazed deep into his left shoulder.

"That will teach you to defy me. I have some business to attend to, so be a good little boy while I'm gone. And don't even think about leaving. My friends are outside this room right now, just waiting to pounce," Riaz hissed and then left the room, slamming the door behind him.

Delko was now along and writhing in pain. Not only had the bullet weakened him, but the beating had played a major part in it too.

_Oh, Calleigh,_he thought. _There's no easy way out of this. If you get hurt, I don't know what I'll do._

And with that, Eric drifted off into an uneasy slumber, a result of the blood slowly seeping from his shoulder.

* * *

_I'm so mean to Eric! I feel so guilty. Kill me if you must, but please review. If you put in more reviews I will write more. more reviews = more chapters = awesome and happy ending. _

_~Fhyre  
_


	5. No Where to Look

Ch 5

"This can't be right. Try again."

"Calleigh, I'm sorry. His cell is out of range," Ryan was trying to calm Calleigh down, but it didn't work.

"C'mon. Get the portable. We're leaving now," Calleigh called as she rushed out of the room.

"But.... uh.... Calleigh wait!" he yelled as he grabbed the portable tracker and his coat.

Sometimes she could be so stubborn.

This time Eric woke again, but not groggy. This time it was painful. The searing agony in his shoulder had settled, but a deep feeling of despair was settling in his stomach. Calleigh was in trouble and it was his fault. If he ever got his hands on Riaz, he would kill him. _Speak of the devil,_ Eric thought as Antonio waltzed into the room.

"So, ready to talk yet? If you aren't yet that's okay. My friends here would love some 'playtime," Riaz sneered.

_Uh, oh.

* * *

_

After what had seemed like hours, Calleigh finally slumped down on her knees, weak and defeated.

"Calleigh, his cell is nowhere in range. Let's just quit and we'll look tomorrow. I'm sure he'll be fine," Ryan attempted to reason.

"Okay," answered Calleigh, her eyes holding a dead-looking stare off into the distance.

This worried Ryan, for he had only seen it twice before. When her father had almost committed murder, and when the Horatio had faked his death. It was the betrayed, mourning look, deep and grave.

But now, he couldn't pay attention to it. They had to find Eric soon, or else.... he didn't want to think of the inevitable. Not now. It was too soon to lose hope.

* * *

_Sorry it so short and took forever, but I've had a lot going on lately, Christmas and school were taking up all my time, not to mention all the relatives we had staying with us. Friends are no help either, especially when they come to your house while you're doing homework and won't leave. Anyway, now veering away from that subject, the next chapter will be longer, I promise. R/R pretty please?_

_~Fhyre  
_


	6. Past Friends

_Okay, I know you've been waiting forever, but here's Chapter six. Hope you all love it. Happy reading!_

Ch 6

The beating was harsh. Each attempted defense move was countered with blinding pain. Hit after hit, it was impossible to take. But somehow, Eric stayed conscious.

With a cackle, and phone in hand, Riaz left the room. Eric looked up, realizing with great relief that the threat was held at bay for the time being. He dared not move but a little at a time, for each cut attempting to heal could easily open again.

Blood was dripping from an open gash on his shoulder, cuts and bruises littered his limbs, his left wrist was broken along with each finger on the same hand. Also, he was no longer on the small wooden chair. Antonio's friends had decided that the chair would make better use to hit him with than to hold him with. Eric lay on the floor, beaten and broken with only hope to hang on to, and hope was far away in the hands of his brother.

Horatio Caine was sitting at his desk, staring off into blank space, when his phone rang. Calleigh had told him what happened and suggested that she try and trace the call back. He hadn't received an answer yet.

Horatio picked up the phone and answered the pestering ring.

"Hello?"

"Well, glad to see you picked up the phone, Lieutenant. I was beginning to worry that you weren't going to pick up. I think it would be wise to hurry up and find me Caine. I don't think your brother will be able to hold up very much longer," came the sharply accented voice of Antonio Riaz.

"What do you want from me Antonio?"

"I want to take everything you love, just like I said I would. And when all you love is gone, I'll make sure to stop by and deal with you."

And just like that, the line went dead. Horatio dropped the phone back on the desk and ran a hand through his hair. Eric would have to hold on just a little longer until-

Suddenly, the door opened quickly and in rushed a figure cloaked in black.

"Can I help you?" H asked without looking up.

"Actually, I think we can help each other," the voice came. Horatio had expected it to be a man's voice, but the speaker sounded fairly feminine. The stranger dropped something on the Lieutenant's desk, which made him look up finally.

The object was a wedding ring, a perfect cut diamond, surrounded by tiny shining pearls; a wedding ring he recognized very much. It was the one he had given to-

Horatio's eyes darted up to the stranger, now no hood to hide the beautiful face before him.

"Marisol."


	7. Don't Give In

Ch 7

Horatio's eyes were wide with shock as he realized the truth. His wife had never died; she was alive. Marisol was alive.

"Marisol," Horatio whispered again. He stood up and reached for her hand, just to make sure she was real. To prove the point, the young Cuban beauty hugged him tightly. She seemed to not have aged a day.

"I heard about what happened to Eric," Marisol replied gravely. "I've actually been up to date in everything that's been going on around here, thanks to some resources. I've been trying to look out for you, but it hasn't been working very well."

A silent tear managed to slip its way down her cheek, but barely reached her chin before Horatio wiped it away with the pad of his thumb.

"Don't worry, we'll find him. I won't rest til' we do. I know Calleigh won't either."

Eric made sure that no sign of weakness would slip through his chaffed and cracked lips. He couldn't let the pain get to him.

But maybe it would be easier to just let go. Maybe peace wouldn't be so bad. Maybe he could live happily, like his sister was now. Marisol was probably living freely now, unlike she had in life. Maybe he could be happy like her...

No. He couldn't give up now. Calleigh needed him, and he needed her. He would get out of here and see her again, even if it was the last thing he did. He was determined. But first, he had to get out of his bindings. Then something caught his eye. A few feet away, on a small table, lay a cellphone.

Calleigh quickly wiped the liquid from her tear-stained face as Horatio walked into the ballistics lab. Word had gotten around that Marisol was alive, but now it was proven to the blonde CSI as Eric's sister walked behind the Lieutenant. The two women shared a quick, and friendly embrace, a reassurance that they would find Eric. Then, Horatio began to talk about where the Mala Noche might be using as base.

"Calleigh, when you and Ryan went to check for a phone signal, how far did you go?" the red-head asked, twirling his sunglasses in hand.

"We checked just about all of Miami, including the marina."

"Did you check the glades?"

"We didn't get out that far."

"Then we may find him there. I'll call Cardoza and tell him to-"

As Horatio pulled out his phone, it started a constant ring. He looked at the caller id to discover the number was out of city limits. He quickly answered.

"Lieutenant Caine," he answered.

"H...," the voice was raspy, and barely recognizable.

"Eric."


	8. The Phone Call

_I am SOOOO sorry that I haven't updated in like forever, so I moved my lazy $$ and wrote another one. Please don't hit me! *Hides behind computer*_

Ch.8

"Eric, where are you?" Horatio asked, setting the call on speakerphone

"I...I don't know. A warehouse... I think," Eric managed to stutter out above the pain.

"Just hang in Eric, we'll find you," Marisol piped in, tears threatening to fall from her chocolate brown eyes.

"H, who is that?"

"I-Its,"H began, not really knowing how to say it. "It's your sister, Marisol. She's alive. The accident back in 2006... it was a set up."

The explanation was greeted with silence. The Lieutenant didn't know what else to say, and it worried him that maybe Eric would be angry. He wasn't.

"Mari?"

"Yes, Eric. It's me."

What sounded like a laugh came through the phone, but it wasn't sarcastic.

"I can't believe it... Is Calleigh there too?"

"Yeah, yeah she is Eric. We're going to get you out of this, Eric. Don't-" Marisol almost finished, but a sound ripped through the connection line that made her stop. A near silent _Oh Shit_(pardon my french) slipped through Eric's lips. Someone in the background yelled something in Spanish, clearly not able to speak English. It sounded like Eric tried to reply, but didn't get the chance to before there was a thud, and the cellphone was knocked away, followed by a gasp of pain.

"Eric. Eric!" Calleigh yelled. She received no answer.

"Eric!" pleaded Marisol.

The voice that replied was not, nor would ever be, her brother.

"Marisol, I thought my hit man got rid of you four years ago. Poor marking I guess," came the sly and greasy tone of Riaz.

"What did you do to my brother, you son of a bitch?(pardon my french again)"

"Oh he'll be fine for now."

"Don't do this Antonio," but for Horatio, words were always a feeble and useless attempt to calm a situation.

"Oh I will. And if you try to help your friend, even attempt to find out where he is, then you will NEVER find where he is." Then the line went dead.


	9. The Guard

Ch 9

Eric had tried to look tied up again, weak and wounded, but he was too late. The guard outside the door had heard the conversation, not necessarily understanding it, but knew there should be no talking coming from the room behind him. When the burly man entered the room, he saw the phone and immediately knocked it from Delko's hand, succeeding in knocking away Eric as well. His boss followed him into the room and spoke in English to the people on the phone. The guard would never know what Antonio said, but he knew that the broken man on the floor would probably never see the light of day again.

* * *

Okay, I know it's short, but i meant its supposed to be. Next chapter is going to be longer, i swear.

~ Fhyre


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